Water vapor exists at significant levels in most geographic locations on earth. This water vapor takes the form of moist air. Processing this moist air into dry air and water results in a net surplus of energy for the process. This energy can be captured and converted to commercially transmittable energy, electrical power, through a thermodynamic cycle process coupled to a water vapor separation module which extracts enriched water vapor from naturally occurring moist air.
Direct solar energy generation systems can only convert a small percentage of the energy that reaches earth from the sun. A large amount of the sun's energy works to evaporate water from large and small bodies of water. The sun evaporates water everywhere on earth and the process expends 2.26 MJ/kg (429.9 Btu/lbm) for each kg (2.204 lbm) of water evaporated. A mass of 1 kg (2.204 lbm) of water with a mixing ratio of 0.3% in dry air represents 2.26 MJ (199 Btu) of water vapor enthalpy distributed in a volume of approximately 333 cubic meters (11,759 cubic feet). The herein described methods, and system for carrying out the disclosed methods, involve enriching ambient water vapor and then releasing the water vapor enthalpy in a heat-exchange boiler, which vaporizes a working fluid used in a Rankine-cycle turbine generator system.
The Rankine-cycle is frequently used in power generation plants. Usually, some sort of carbon combustion creates the heat used to vaporize the working fluid used in the Rankine-cycle. While this method of generating power via carbon combustion is used worldwide, because of its relative inexpensiveness, there are many drawbacks to carbon combustion-based Rankine-cycle plants. For example, the discharge from the combustion of fossil fuels is released into the air. This discharge contains carbon dioxide and water vapor, as well as other substances such as nitrogen, nitrous oxides, sulfur oxides, and (in the case of coal-fired plants) fly ash and mercury. These hazardous substances are obviously a threat to human health and animal life. And the released carbon dioxide is widely believed to be at least a major contributor, if not a cause, of global warming and climate change. Development of a non-carbon-combustion Rankine-cycle power generation plants would be highly advantageous.